The purposes of this study are (1) to characterize differences in the time/space structure of various multiyear surface wind products for the tropical Pacific; and (2) to quantify the impact these differences may have on our ability to model oceanic wind-forced variability on seasonal and interannual time scales. Three coincident wind field analyses are used, viz., the Florida State University (FSU) subjective analysis, the University of Hawaii (SAWIN) subjective analysis and the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FNOC) operational analysis. The five years chosen for study, 1979-1983, encompass three years of a fairly regular seasonal cycle leading up to the 1982-1983 El Nino. A linear multi-vertical model model is forced with these analyses; model dynamic height and sea level are then compared with observations based on expendable bathythermograph and island tide gauge data. The mean seasonal cycle prior to El Nino (1979-1981) is considered first, which then serves as a self-consistent basis for analyzing the interannual variability, particularly the significant anomalies about the mean in 1982-1983. Results for the FSU and SAWIN forced simulations are generally in better agreement with the observations than the FNOC simulation, especially during the 1982-1983 El Nino.